Door closer



D. J. BISSELL DOOR CLOSER Aug. so, 1938.

Filed April '7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug 30, 1938. D. J. BISSELL 2,128,633 DOOR CLOSER Filed April 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Quad Pneumatic Lift Company,

Spokane,

Wash, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 7, 1937, Serial No. 135,603

7 Claims.

My present invention relates to an improved door closer of the spring and lever operated type, employing a pneumatic check to regulate the closing movement of the door. The primary ob- 5 ject of the invention is the provision of a strong, durable, efiicient, and compact device of this character, which, because of its compactness and arrangement of parts, may be installed in a comparatively restricted space, as for instance, be-

l tween the main door and the screen-door of a room. Because of the comparatively small size of the device and the close association of its parts, when attached to a door and door-jamb, the closer occupies a minimum amount of space; and

16- as the device protrudes but slightly from the door and from the jamb, it does not mar the appearance of a door.

In carrying out my invention the parts are so arranged as to permit facility in their assembly, convenience in installation of the closer, and after installation both the pneumatic check and the spring-device may be adjusted, without necessity for use of special tools, to suit the door structure.

The closer includes, in combination with a cylinder forming an air-chamber and a springchamber, an operating lever, a spring lever, and a pair of spaced springs co-acting with the two levers, the springs, of course, being compressed as the door is opened, and after the door is released ,the expanding springs close the door under the regulating action of the pneumatic check.

The invention consists in certain combinations and arrangements of these parts as will hereinafter be more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention, but it will be understood that changes and alterations line 3-3 of Figure 2 showing particularly an edge view of the spring-lever.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the pneumatic checking piston and its connec- .'tions.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional, detail view at Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 1, but showing the door in partially opened position and changes in the position of the operating parts of the closer.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of the free end of the operating lever, showing the spring mounted thereon and the telescopic housing for the spring.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view at one end of the cylinder, showing the pneumatic check valve.

In the assembly Figures 1 and 5 I have illustrated the closer as having a door plate D and ajamb-plate J, which are attached by screws l to their respective parts, and, while the closer is here shown installed on a right-hand swinging door, it will of course be understood that the device is capable of use in other arrangements. The plate J forms an anchorage for the device, and the latter including a cylinder 2, which is horizontally disposed, is rigidly connected with the attaching plate D by the use of brackets 3. As shown, the attaching plate, the brackets and the cylinder are integral, and the brackets have annular collars that encircle the cylinder to reinforce the latter, but it will be understood that these parts may be rigidly joined together in any other suitable manner.

At one end, the cylinder is provided with a rigid head 4, and at its opposite end a removable head 5 is fitted, and retained by a pair of bolts or rods 6, 6, that pass through holes in the removable head and within the cylinder these bolts are threaded at their ends for rigid attachment to a fixed partition 1. The partition 1 extends transversely of the cylinder, and screws 8, entered from the exterior of the cylinder and passing through its wall, firmly hold the partition in place to form a spring chamber at one side and an air chamber at the other side of the partition.

The bolts or rods 6, 6, pass through the spring chamber with their inner ends fixed in the fixed partition I, andtheir outer ends, which protrude through the removable head, are threaded to receive the nuts 9, 9, the nuts being used to clamp the head, and also to rigidly clamp the bolts or rods with their ends supported in the interior fixed partition and the clamped head 5 of the cylinder.

The fixed head ,4 of the cylinder is provided with an air-duct l0 opening from the interior of the air chamber to the atmosphere, and a radially extending air-valve H, of well known type, is threaded in the head, to vary the capacity of the vent opening or duct l0, and thereby the lever with relation to the cylinder.

adjust or regulate the pneumatic checking action of the piston I2 which reciprocates in the air chamber.

The piston is provided with a stem 13 on one end of which is rigidly mounted a slidable head i i, and as indicated in the drawings, the stem passes through a central hole in the fixed partition, which hole forms a bearing for the slide stem, the piston and the slide head being located at opposite sides of the fixed partition. The slide head, located in the spring chamber, is provided with spaced transversely extending holes to accommodate the fixed rods or bolts 6, B, and the latter form guides for the reciprocating head.

Between the stationary end or head 5 of the cylinder and the reciprocable slide head M a spring i5 is interposed and coiled about the two parallel rods or bolts 6, 6, which spring is compressed by the opening movement of the door, as will be described.

An operating lever i6 is pivotallyanchored at IT to the jarnb plate J, and this lever is bent, as indicated, in order to bring it as close as possible to the cylinder to insure a compact arrangement of parts, and the free-swinging end of the operating lever projects horizontally beyond the outer end of the cylinder.

In connection with the operating lever I employ a floating link, or spring lever l8, disposed at an angle to the operating lever and located in a parallel plane directly above the plane of the operating lever. This spring lever, which is pivoted 'at iii to the door plate D, as indicated in Figures 1 and 5, is bowed, or semi-circular in shape to provide an exterior cam edge, and the bowed part of the lever is longitudinally slotted as at 20 to provide a bifurcated element which may readily be pivoted at its ends to the door plate as indicated at i9.

This bowed and bifurcated part of the spring lever passes in a horizontal plane, transversely, through the cylinder, and the latter is. provided with longitudinally extending slots 2i in its opposite side walls to permitswinging movement of The spring lever is located between the fixed partition '5 and the slide head i4 within the cylinder, and the piston stem i3 it will be noted, is flattened at 22 adjacent the slide head, so that the bifurcated lever may straddle this flattened portion or neck portion of the stem, and the glide over the neck in directions both longitudinally and transversely of the cylinder.

The slide head M is fashioned with a central bearing boss 23 against which the exterior cam edge of the bowed spring-lever frictionally engages, when the door is opened, for the purpose of compressing the spring l5 between the slide head, and the stationary head 5 of the cylinder.

At its. free-swinging end, exterior of the cylinder, the spring lever is pivotally connected with the operating lever by a pivot pin or screw 24, which passes loosely through a slot 25 in the operating lever. This slot terminates, at its hinge-end, or the end nearest the pivot ll, in a slight bend that conforms to the bend of the operating lever, to accommodate the pivotal connection 2 5 between the spring lever and the operating lever, whereby the bowed part of the spring lever is in neutral position with relation to the slide head, when the door is closed, as in Figure 1, and a spring 26 is instrumental in holding the pivot pin 2d of the spring lever firmly in the end of the slot 25 under these conditions.

The spring 28 is coiled about the free-swinging end of the operating lever, and it is enclosed in a sectional, telescopic housing 2'3 and 28, the end 29 of the outer section being provided with a hole for the threaded end 30 of'the operating lever and an adjusting nut 25! is screwed on this end, exterior of the housing,

The inner end of the inner section has a head 32! with a central opening for the lever, and this head 32 is fashioned with a pair of exterior, rounded shoulders or bearing faces 33, one of which faces bears against the adjacent end of the spring lever and the other face bears against the rounded head 3d of the pivot pin or screw 24. Thus, in adjusting or regulating the spring 25, the nut 3! is turned tocompress the spring slightly and bring the two faces 33 of the spring-housing into close frictional contact with the pivot end of the spring lever and also with the pivot head 34, and the tension of spring 26 holds the pivot pin in the end of the slot 25, thereby rendering the parts of the closer in taut position for use.

The spring 26 affords a resilient resistance to the free-swinging end of the spring lever, as the door is opened, and of course the spring is compressed and shortened, and the spring-housing is telescoped to shorter length by the opening swing of the door.

The initial opening-swing of the door carrying the pivot IS with its increases the radius line from pivot ll to pivot i9, or from the door hinge to the pivot 2 and consequently the spring I5 is compressed due to the resistance of the bowed spring lever to the pressure of the slide head M, and the free-swinging end of the spring lever is resisted by contact of the end of the lever and the pivot head 34 against the faces 32, 33 of the auxiliary spring device of the operating lever.

The compression of the spring I5 is thus in advance of the compression of spring 26, but continuous opening swing of the door carries the cylinder farther away from the anchoring pivot I! of the operating lever, as indicated in'v Figure 5, and by the time the door is wide open the bowed spring lever has compressed spring i5 through the instrumentality of the slide head, and the free-swinging end of the spring lever, through the instrumentality of the telescopic housing and its heads, has compressed the auxiliary spring 26, the pivot 25 sliding along in the slot 25 as indicated.

The movement of the slide head M in compressing the spring i 5, carries with it the stem l3 and piston i2, and the piston slides away from the vented end of the cylinder to admit air to the interior of the air chamber through the vent Hi.

When the opened door is released, the two compressed springs i5 and 26, each bearing against the spring lever, but at opposite sides thereof, cause a reverse swing of the lever on its moving pivot i9, and as the pivot it draws nearer to the anchoring pivot ii the free-swinging end of the spring lever is drawn nearer to the anchoring pivot ii and to the cylinder, as indicated in Figure 1, to close the door.

The pivot 24, as indicated travels from the inner end of the slot 25 toward the outer end as the door is opened, and this pivot, on closing movement of the door, travels from the outer end of the slot toward its inner end, stopping short of the end wall of the slot in order to insure a slight compression or tautness of both of the springs 26 and i5 when the door is in closed position.

The pneumatic check, for the closing movement of the door under expansion of the springs, is

readily adjustable to permit escape of air from the interior of the air chamber to the atmosphere through the air duct or vent I0, as the piston l2 moves to the left in Figure 2 under pressure of the spring I against the slide head [4 of the piston stem. By turning the valve II the escape of air from the air chamber may be regulated to bring the check into proper relation to the action of the closing springs.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters. Patent is:

1. In a door closer, the combination with an operating lever having a stationary pivot support at one end and a spring device forming a resilient resisting-element mounted on its slotted free-swinging end, a spring-lever having a movable pivotal engagement at its free-swinging end with the slotted operating lever, and said springlever having a pivotal support mounted on a hinged door.

2. In a door closer, the combination with an operating lever having a fixed pivotal support at one end and a slotted free-swinging end and a compression spring mounted on the slotted end, of a spring lever having a pivotal support on a hinged door, and spring lever also having a pivot-member movable in said slotted end, and means interposed between said spring and spring lever forming a bearing for said spring lever.

3. In a door closer the combination with an operating lever having a fixed pivotal support at one end and a slot inv its free-swinging end, a telescopic housing mounted on said slotted end and retaining means therefor, and a spring enclosed in said housing, of a spring-lever having one end pivotally supported on a hinged door, the other end of said spring lever being in engagement with said housing, and a pivot member on the latter end of the lever mounted in said slot.

4. In a door closer the combination with an operating lever having a pivotal support on a. door-jamb and a slot in its free-swinging end, a telescopic housing mounted on said end and a nut threaded on said end exterior of the housing,

of a spring enclosed in said housing, a springlever pivoted on a hinged door, a pivot member on the spring lever adapted to move in said slot, and said housing at its inner end having a frictional bearing against the spring lever.

5. In a door closer, the combination with an operating lever pivoted on a door jamb, a compressible spring-device mounted on the freeswinging end of the lever, and means for retaining said device on the lever, of a spring-lever having a pivotal support on, a hinged door, said spring-lever having a movable pivot-connection with the operating lever, and spacing means interposed between said pivot-connection and the spring device.

6. In a door closer, the combination with an operating lever having at one end a pivotal support on a door-jamb and a spring device mounted on its free-swinging end, of a cylinder rigid with a hinged door, a spring and a bearing-head within the cylinder, a bowed spring lever passing through slots in the wall of the cylinder and frictionally engaging said head, a pivotal support for the spring lever on the hinged door, and a movable pivot support for the spring leveron the operating lever engaged by said spring device.

'7. In a door closer, the combination with a slotted cylinder having a rigid interior partition, a slide bearing head in the cylinder, a spring between said bearing head and a closed end of the cylinder, and a stem on said head slidably supported in said partition, of a bifurcated spring lever of bow-shapemounted to slide on said stem and bearing against said bearing head, said spring lever being supported in the slotted cylinder, a pivotal support for the spring lever at one side of the cylinder and rigid therewith, and a pivotal support for the spring lever at the other side of the cylinder, an operating lever having a fixed pivotal support at one end and a spaced slot to receive the second pivotal support of the spring lever, and a spring device on the operating lever tending to urge said second pivotal support toward the fixed pivotal support.

- DAVID J. BISSELL. 

